Three years ago, Malaysian pop star Yuna Zarai decided it was time for a change.
She packed her bags and moved across the Pacific to seek further fame and fortune in sunny Southern California.
Zarai — who goes by Yuna on stage — was a household name in her home-country. Her ear-pleasing pop tracks, sung in both English and Malay, first reached the public’s ears through Myspace Music in the mid-aughts, eventually making their way onto television and radio.
A winner of several Anugerah Industri Muzik awards, the Malaysian equivalent of the Grammy, she felt the United States was the next step.
“Everyone comes through Los Angeles,” Yuna said from her home in the heart of L.A.’s downtown. “Everybody is doing something. The working environment is amazing. It allows me to be more creative.”
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The city has been inspirational for the singer as she prepares to embark on a trek that takes her through the Rialto Theatre next Wednesday. Yuna is touring to promote, “Nocturnal,” her debut album for Verve Records. Tucson is her only Arizona stop.
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Yuna was inspired by an array of influences growing up. Her father — a legal advisor for Pahang, the third largest state in Malaysia — surrounded Yuna with Western music when she was a girl, including American jazz, rock and blues. As she developed her own tastes, Yuna blended her love for the boy bands of the United States and Europe with pop rock groups, such as The Cranberries, The Cardigans and No Doubt. “I listened to No Doubt’s ‘Tragic Kingdom’ album over and over again,” she said.
She loves fashion. Yuna owns two clothing shops in Malaysia, one dubbed IAmJetFuel and the other November Culture. November Culture opened last month.
“I have a passion for retail,” said Yuna. The young singer also studied law at the Universiti Teknologi MARA, in Shah Alam, Malaysia, but would choose clever clothing over courtrooms any day. “Working in fashion and owning a store is something I would do fulltime if I wasn’t involved in music,” she said.
She has a new album on the way, but don’t expect her to road test any tracks at the show. “I pretty much just started,” Yuna said. The timing couldn’t be better to get back into the studio. “The last couple of months have been tough for me,” she said.
“I’ve been going through a lot of stress with working, and traveling and with personal stuff in my life. It is good for me to be able to get creative again. To express myself and let it out.”
